Latest / UNCHAINEDTV'S Truth Files with Jane Velez-Mitchell / UnchainedTV: VICTORY: Starbucks Drop Surcharge for Vegan Milks!

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UnchainedTV: VICTORY: Starbucks Drop Surcharge for Vegan Milks! · UNCHAINEDTV'S Truth Files with Jane Velez-Mitchell

0:00
We have breaking news for you.
0:05
Fasten your seatbelts.
0:06
This is huge.
0:09
Stop everything you're doing.
0:11
Starbucks dropped their surcharge for the plant-based
0:14
milks.
0:15
Finally, do you know how long we've been
0:17
asking for this?
0:18
This is a huge victory for the vegan
0:21
movement, for the animal rights movement, for organisations
0:23
like PETA and Switch for Good.
0:25
No one should be paying extra for making
0:27
better choices for our planet, for themselves, and
0:30
for the animals.
0:31
It's a victory.
0:33
Now, the inside story of how it happened.
0:38
And it is making headlines around the world.
0:41
There you see it, VegNews, Starbucks drops dairy
0:44
-free surcharge, embracing all the ways our customers
0:47
enjoy their Starbucks.
0:49
This is a huge vegan victory.
0:51
Starbucks drops surcharge for non-dairy.
0:54
Starbucks won't charge extra for plant-based milk.
0:57
Other companies should follow suit.
0:59
So we've got representatives from two of the
1:02
leading organisations that made this happen, PETA and
1:05
Switch for Good.
1:07
I want to start with one of my
1:09
favourite people on the planet, Dotsie Bausch, vegan
1:12
Olympian who has literally devoted her life to
1:16
this issue.
1:17
And that's why she started Switch for Good.
1:21
So, Dotsie, tell us, what is the significance
1:24
of this surcharge being dropped by Starbucks?
1:29
Yeah, well, when we decided to go after
1:32
the largest coffee chain in the world, we
1:36
did it because we felt like if we
1:40
go big and we are successful, we knew
1:43
it was going to be a multi-year
1:45
approach, that it would trickle down to all
1:48
of the other coffee shops in the world.
1:51
And we definitely think that it will.
1:53
The reason behind it is simply to normalise
1:57
plant food, normalise plant milk.
1:59
We know that the 95% just wants
2:02
normal, right?
2:04
They want average.
2:04
They don't want things to be weird or
2:06
niche.
2:06
And by charging extra money, which is also
2:09
a certain form of dietary racism, which we
2:13
brought to light in this campaign and really
2:15
helped people to understand what that is, how
2:18
it gets developed and how it's incredibly unfair.
2:22
But it was all about normalising this plant
2:25
milk.
2:25
When something's normal and it's just on the
2:27
menu alongside the cow's milk, because we all
2:30
know the cow's milk is what should have
2:31
had the upcharge, then people feel free, open,
2:35
even excited to order a plant food, a
2:38
plant milk, because it's just the same and
2:41
they don't have to pay this niche extra
2:43
upcharge.
2:44
So it's about normalisation for us.
2:46
PETA was one of the other organisations that
2:49
led the charge.
2:50
These two groups were working, you know, hand
2:53
in hand, protests here, protests there.
2:55
We're going to show you and you can
2:57
hear some of these protests in a moment.
2:59
But Amber, what would you say is the
3:02
significance of this in the vegan movement, in
3:04
the animal rights movement, the dropping of this
3:07
surcharge?
3:09
Yeah, thanks for having us on.
3:11
PETA's been going after Starbucks for years.
3:15
And, you know, in order to get animals
3:18
out of these factory farms and out of
3:21
the dairy industry, we need to normalise and
3:24
make vegan foods more accessible.
3:26
So getting one of the largest chains that
3:29
is such a large seller of dairy products
3:33
is a huge win and it will have
3:37
ripple effects.
3:38
You know, now the smaller coffee chains will
3:40
have absolutely no excuse.
3:42
So we are looking very closely toward the
3:45
future on the ripple effects of this.
3:47
All right.
3:48
Well, one of the iconic moments of this
3:51
campaign was when Succession and Babe star James
3:55
Cromwell literally glued himself to a Starbucks counter.
4:00
Let's watch it and then we'll talk about
4:01
it on the other side.
4:02
A single cow emits more smog, farming pollutants
4:06
than a car.
4:08
One cow on a dairy farm also requires
4:11
50 gallons of water a day.
4:14
So we're in the vegan upcharge now because
4:16
they charge for vegan milk in there.
4:21
It does damage to the planet.
4:23
It does damage to people who ingest it,
4:26
who can't metabolise it.
4:29
And it's simple greed.
4:32
Wow.
4:33
Simple greed.
4:35
Now, do you think these campaigns alleging that
4:39
this was being done, this surcharge for simple
4:43
greed, were what turned the corner?
4:46
Or was it that Starbucks had started to
4:50
suffer economically because they were charging extra?
4:55
Because according to Starbucks' own account, the requests
5:00
for vegan milks, oat milk, soy milk, almond
5:04
milk, coconut milk, is the second most requested
5:07
customisation right after an extra shot of espresso,
5:13
which I could probably use right now myself.
5:15
Oh, my gosh.
5:18
Yeah.
5:19
Well, about 10 weeks before they dropped the
5:24
upcharge, we had been working with a whistleblower,
5:28
with an informant who worked inside at Starbucks
5:31
for some years.
5:33
And we uncovered quite a lot, which we
5:37
privately sent to Starbucks.
5:38
And I think maybe was their final lever
5:42
in the breaking to make this happen.
5:45
What we uncovered was absolute egregious price gouging.
5:52
Like we knew they made a lot of
5:53
money on this, right?
5:54
Because why else would they do it?
5:55
But what we uncovered was that they make
5:59
a 788% markup for almond milk, a
6:03
566% markup on soy milk, and 185
6:07
% markup on oat milk.
6:09
We know that they made a billion dollars
6:11
on these markups.
6:12
They charge 80 cents.
6:14
And almond milk, for example, that they charge
6:17
nine.
6:18
It costs nine cents and they charge 80
6:21
cents.
6:22
It's a 788% markup.
6:23
So revealing that we uncovered those numbers, and
6:29
then also revealing something that was almost even
6:32
more egregious, them going back to 2019 and
6:36
erasing and changing their climate baselines because they
6:39
recognised they were not going to make their
6:41
2025 target.
6:43
We have all of that paperwork and sent
6:47
it to them.
6:47
So those are two big surprises, I think,
6:52
for them, that they didn't realise that anyone
6:55
knew about either one of those.
6:56
And I think that Brian Nickell trying to
6:58
do the right thing, having to change and
7:00
really turn this entire company around from it
7:03
being in the toilet with the shareholders, didn't
7:07
want this out, either one of these facts.
7:11
And we invite Starbucks on any time.
7:14
I think we can all say kudos to
7:16
the new CEO, Brian Nickell, for making this
7:20
change.
7:20
So we applaud and congratulate him.
7:24
What we're doing is talking about how and
7:26
why it happened when it did, because the
7:30
protest by James Cromwell was two years ago.
7:34
So there have been protests for years demanding
7:37
this.
7:38
Let's take a look at some of the
7:39
protests organised by Switch for Good.
7:42
Put your money where your mouth is and
7:45
stop the upcharge of the plant-based milk
7:48
now.
7:55
What the hell is up, you guys?
7:56
My name is Jamie Logan, and we are
7:58
here in Los Angeles outside of Starbucks.
8:01
We are asking, we are demanding that they
8:03
drop the surcharge on plant-based milk.
8:06
And let's find out why.
8:08
Extra charges aren't fair.
8:11
Stop the upcharge, stop the green.
8:16
Keep our prices what we need.
8:18
So we are here because we have been
8:19
working for two and a half years trying
8:22
to get Starbucks to drop their plant milk
8:24
upcharge.
8:24
It's $0.70, $0.80, $0.80 at
8:26
the top.
8:28
Extra to have planet-friendly, animal-friendly, people
8:32
-friendly, health-friendly plant milk.
8:35
And as many of you know now, because
8:37
we've been doing this work for so long,
8:39
35% of Americans cannot digest dairy.
8:43
80% of people of colour all over
8:46
the world, it makes them sick, uncomfortable, and
8:49
in some cases, unable to breathe.
8:51
Yet that milk is free at Starbucks, and
8:55
they're charging for planet-friendly plant milk.
8:58
It's insanity.
9:00
So all those were excellent arguments, but-
9:04
I apparently had a lot of coffee before
9:05
that.
9:06
Wow.
9:10
I think they cut you off.
9:12
No more shots.
9:13
Exactly.
9:14
No more shots.
9:15
And you know what?
9:16
I've had this Starbucks coffee plastic cup for
9:20
about six years, and so I use it
9:24
every time I have to do an update
9:25
on Starbucks.
9:26
I haven't actually gone into Starbucks, however.
9:29
That may change now that they've eliminated the
9:32
upcharge.
9:33
I would be happy to go there.
9:34
Tomorrow.
9:36
Yeah, we're celebrating this.
9:38
So let me say this.
9:41
Those were all great reasons.
9:44
Climate change, suffering of animals, human health with
9:48
the huge amount of lactose intolerance in the
9:51
populace.
9:52
In fact, there's even been lawsuits surrounding that
9:57
issue.
9:57
But those are not what were cited in
10:01
news reports as the defining reason why this
10:04
happened.
10:06
It was more described as Starbucks is having
10:09
some problems with sales and wanted to appeal
10:13
to its customers.
10:14
So is this still a case of follow
10:17
the money at the end of the day,
10:19
DOTC?
10:20
And then we'll go to Amber.
10:22
I mean, most definitely.
10:26
And Amber and PETA know this even more
10:28
because they've been campaigning for 50 years, right,
10:32
that there is never a world where the
10:36
major multinational public corporation says, thank you, activists,
10:41
for letting us see our flaws.
10:42
Thank you for exposing the price gouging.
10:44
Thank you for exposing our corporate fraud and
10:46
changing.
10:47
Thank you for exposing the climate.
10:49
I mean, et cetera, et cetera.
10:50
So, you know, we're never going to know
10:54
exactly.
10:56
But I think because of all that both
10:59
of us have done on this, they were
11:01
done with the pressure.
11:02
They were done with it.
11:04
I mean, they just wanted to turn the
11:05
corner.
11:06
And I think that they didn't.
11:07
I know for sure that Brian did not
11:09
want the latest bits that we'd uncover revealed.
11:12
And they didn't want the pressure from PETA
11:15
anymore.
11:15
They just didn't want it.
11:16
Right.
11:17
He wanted to turn a new leaf.
11:18
He didn't want to deal with that.
11:19
And he turned it into a kind of
11:21
a conversation around its customisation season, the holidays.
11:24
And so we're going to make customisation easier
11:26
by not charging for plant milk.
11:28
So that's how they spun it.
11:30
And we were expecting nothing less.
11:31
Right, Amber?
11:33
Yeah.
11:34
Yeah, I mean, PETA has been going after
11:39
Starbucks on this issue through multiple CEOs.
11:43
And, in fact, when Brian Nichol came on
11:47
board, we suspended our campaign because we were
11:49
so hopeful.
11:50
With his past history at the other companies
11:53
he worked at, you know, Chipotle having such
11:56
great vegan options.
11:58
You know, we were hopeful and it did
12:00
pay off.
12:01
And we're seeing now the massive PR move,
12:05
positive PR for them, that the previous CEOs
12:08
who are no longer with Starbucks really missed
12:12
out on.
12:13
And that really shows that doing the right
12:16
thing, whether they did it for the right
12:18
reasons or not, is a good business move.
12:22
And do you think it will, Amber, inspire
12:24
other companies to follow suit?
12:27
Absolutely.
12:28
We have been, you know, not just Starbucks,
12:31
there are some other handfuls of chains and
12:34
also individual coffee stores, right?
12:36
So the small coffee shops who might still
12:38
be charging extra maybe felt like they had
12:42
to because the big guys were.
12:44
And they needed to do that to remain
12:45
competitive.
12:46
So this is just showing that across the
12:47
board it is, you know, affordable and accessible.
12:51
And just the right thing to do for
12:53
any company that, you know, is trying to
12:56
appeal to customers who care about animals, care
12:58
about their carbon footprints, and just doing the
13:00
right thing.
13:01
And, you know, PETA has worked with so
13:03
many celebrities.
13:05
James Cromwell, and there is a building named
13:08
the James Cromwell Empathy Centre that is part
13:11
of PETA's overall headquarters.
13:14
In fact, Unchained TV just had a premier
13:16
party at the PETA Empathy Centre, the James
13:19
Cromwell PETA Empathy Centre.
13:21
And, you know, there's no better activist than
13:24
James Cromwell.
13:25
He is out there on the front lines
13:27
lending his fame and celebrity to this and
13:30
other issues when it comes to animal rights
13:32
and veganism.
13:33
Let's take a look at PETA's now iconic
13:36
commercial that they did to put pressure on
13:40
Starbucks to drop the extra charge, which Starbucks
13:44
has now done.
13:46
Starbucks cares.
13:48
We care about the world turning into a
13:50
giant burning hellscape.
13:53
And we care that you care that cow's
13:56
milk production emits about three times more greenhouse
13:59
gases than vegan milk.
14:01
We care, but you care more.
14:04
That's why we charge you up to 90
14:05
cents extra for our vegan milk.
14:08
Because when you really care, like you do,
14:11
it's a small price to pay.
14:12
And it's good that you pay, I mean,
14:15
care, because we also have other things to
14:17
care about.
14:18
Like the $1.6 million cash sign-on
14:21
bonus for our new CEO.
14:24
We care about profits.
14:26
Confused?
14:27
We're not.
14:28
You just keep caring about saving the world
14:30
and we'll keep caring about our savings account.
14:34
Because Starbucks cares about money.
14:37
Heck, it's right there in our name.
14:40
There you go.
14:41
Drink that in.
14:42
You take care now.
14:47
What a sophisticated campaign.
14:49
And the CEO he referred to is no
14:52
longer there.
14:54
Correct me if I'm wrong, replaced by Brian
14:56
Nickell, who came over from Chipotle because they
14:59
were struggling.
15:00
I mean, do you think at the end
15:02
of the day, it's just not smart business?
15:06
Like everybody's praising Brian Nickell as a very
15:08
smart business person.
15:10
He did drop the upcharge.
15:13
Is that the smart business move?
15:17
Couldn't it be also not just good for
15:21
the animals, good for human health, good for
15:23
the planet, but also good for business?
15:26
Why do those two have to be at
15:28
loggerheads, Dotsie?
15:30
Yeah.
15:31
I mean, I think they'll win a lot
15:32
of people over by doing it.
15:33
I also do think it's, you know, interesting
15:38
timing that it's customisation season and people want
15:40
to try all sorts of, you know, different
15:43
foofy drinks over the holidays and they'll make
15:47
some of the money up during that.
15:49
I won't be entirely shocked if the overall
15:51
prices of their beverages start to creep up
15:54
to make it back, because like I said,
15:57
it was a billion dollars for them last
15:59
year.
15:59
So that's a lot of money to let
16:00
go.
16:01
So they might get new customers.
16:05
That's where that exactly.
16:07
Yeah.
16:07
I used to go to Starbucks all the
16:08
time.
16:09
I just walk around with this thing for
16:11
four or five years.
16:12
Well, that's the question.
16:13
I mean, how many people were boycotting Starbucks
16:15
because of the plant milk?
16:16
I mean, that's what we don't they don't
16:18
know.
16:18
Yeah.
16:20
Boycotting, if not boycotting outright, just thinking, you
16:25
know, one of the issues that I've had
16:27
when I've gone in there.
16:28
And by the way, again, we invite Starbucks
16:30
on any time.
16:32
As as we've said at the start of
16:34
this broadcast, we applaud your decision.
16:37
So this isn't like attack Starbucks day.
16:40
This is applaud Starbucks day.
16:41
But we're trying to understand it and we're
16:44
trying to understand why it took so long
16:46
and why these two organisations, Switch for Good
16:51
and PETA, had to go to extreme lengths,
16:55
like getting movie stars to record fake commercials
16:58
and glueing themselves to a counter in order
17:01
to make the case.
17:03
For those who aren't animal activists, please know
17:07
that all campaigns start out with polite letters.
17:10
Right, Amber?
17:12
All campaigns start out with here's the facts
17:14
behind the scenes before anything public ever, ever
17:18
happened.
17:19
You know.
17:20
Yes.
17:21
Well, can you outline that?
17:22
Because people sometimes say, oh, why are they
17:24
protesting?
17:27
Yeah, I mean, any time you see PETA
17:29
has an action alert out against something, you
17:32
know, we've attempted to resolve things.
17:35
The best campaigns are the ones you never
17:37
have to launch in the first place.
17:40
And Starbucks previous CEOs, you know, just weren't
17:44
were open to it at the time.
17:47
It took a little bit of cajoling.
17:50
I've still got a scar on my hand
17:51
from the time I glued my hand to
17:53
their headquarters countertop.
17:55
But, you know, that scar is going to
17:58
fade and eventually and we'll be moving on
18:01
to, you know, on and on to the
18:03
next victories down the road.
18:07
And in fact, tomorrow, PETA is officially calling
18:10
off our boycott that we've been having with
18:13
support.
18:14
Starbucks Vegan Coffee Day is going to be
18:16
tomorrow.
18:17
So go in and get those soy lattes
18:22
and, you know, to keep working and keep
18:25
that caffeine up.
18:26
Well, I wanted to ask you what it
18:28
was like to glue, because I did have
18:30
questions about this.
18:31
I'm like, we all know glueing yourself, super
18:34
glueing yourself.
18:35
That's painful.
18:36
And how does it end?
18:38
I never quite got the answer.
18:40
Since you actually superglue yourself as well.
18:43
Can you tell us, please?
18:44
I went a little overboard and used an
18:48
entire tube of the superglue at the Starbucks
18:53
Reserve in their headquarters in Seattle.
18:58
They didn't really know what to do about
18:59
it.
19:00
And the firefighters tried many things.
19:04
A butter knife ended up being the main
19:08
thing that worked to get me out.
19:10
We were in there for a couple hours.
19:12
Wow.
19:13
It was an interesting experience.
19:15
And I had one hand glued with the
19:17
phone with the live stream the entire time.
19:21
Wow.
19:22
And you think it was worth it?
19:25
Absolutely.
19:26
Yeah.
19:27
They filed some charges and never pursued them.
19:32
So, you know, I was willing to go
19:34
the full way, but they just wanted to
19:37
get us out of there.
19:38
Yeah.
19:38
And I really think that's important because so
19:41
many people, I've been working with PETA for
19:44
decades now.
19:46
And as a journalist, always there, always there
19:50
saying, sure, I'll talk to you.
19:52
Sure.
19:52
I'll try to connect you with a celebrity
19:54
who might care about this, whatever the case
19:56
may be.
19:58
And I really hate it when people say
20:00
PETA.
20:01
Oh, they throw blood.
20:02
PETA hasn't thrown fake blood at anything in
20:05
I don't know how long.
20:07
I mean, that's got to be decades.
20:09
But they like to do that to kind
20:11
of dismiss.
20:13
What I say is, you know, journalists should
20:16
be covering this issue seriously and all the
20:18
other issues that PETA raises seriously.
20:21
But the truth is PETA has something like
20:23
19 lawyers.
20:24
They're filing Freedom of Information Act requests, holding
20:27
news conferences, putting out news releases.
20:29
But yet when they get the media attention
20:32
is when James Cromwell glues himself to a
20:35
supermarket, to a Starbucks counter or somebody gets
20:39
naked or almost naked.
20:41
In other words, these animal rights organisations are
20:45
put in a situation where they're completely ignored
20:48
when they're serious.
20:49
And then when they in desperation become somewhat
20:52
outlandish after begging for change politely, then they're
20:57
attacked for being outlandish.
20:58
Would you like to address that, Amber?
21:01
Yeah, it takes everything.
21:03
I mean, I've attended board meetings from giant
21:06
corporations.
21:08
And, you know, we've had Alicia Silverstone actually,
21:11
you know, called into a Starbucks board meeting
21:15
as well in the past.
21:17
But it sometimes takes steps, stepping things up
21:21
and taking some bold actions in a safe
21:24
way.
21:25
I mean, my hand was maybe in a
21:27
little danger that day, but it all ended
21:29
up fine.
21:31
And, you know, at the end of the
21:33
day, the planet is in crisis.
21:35
The animals are in crisis.
21:37
And, you know, we need to get active
21:39
and keep doing what we need to do
21:42
to keep these victories coming in, because the
21:46
animals really, really need us to step it
21:49
up.
21:49
And the people.
21:51
Let's hear a little bit more from the
21:53
protests that Dotsie Bausch organised outside a Starbucks.
21:58
I was there and her right hand man
22:02
also spoke.
22:04
Dairy and milk means stomach pain.
22:06
Starbucks coffee is to blame.
22:09
Plant based milk should not cost more.
22:11
Starbucks green, we do have more.
22:13
The intention of this campaign is to get
22:16
them to finally drop the plant based milk
22:18
upcharge.
22:18
What they have already done in the United
22:20
Kingdom, France, Chile, Germany, Japan and other major
22:25
World Cup countries.
22:26
They have resisted here in the US so
22:28
far.
22:28
This is their biggest market.
22:30
They make over we've estimated they make over
22:31
300 million dollars a year on the upcharge
22:35
alone.
22:35
Not just the drinks.
22:37
The upcharge.
22:38
Three hundred million dollars a year.
22:39
So this is part of our ongoing Justice
22:41
Cup campaign to get them to put their
22:43
money where their mouth is and actually finally
22:45
drop the upcharge for people, planet and the
22:48
animals.
22:48
That is why we are here today.
22:50
Thank you guys so much for being here.
22:56
All right.
22:57
So again, we applaud Starbucks for finally dropping
23:01
that surcharge for soy, almond, coconut and what
23:07
is it?
23:07
Oat milk.
23:08
OK.
23:09
And we have a lot of people saying,
23:11
yes, I'm going to go back and start
23:13
going to Starbucks.
23:15
Let me ask you a question.
23:17
Oh, that's quite a quite a comment there.
23:19
Let me ask you a question.
23:20
Do you think this is going to encourage
23:22
more people who are not vegan, who are
23:24
not plant based to try the vegan option?
23:27
Because that's another benefit from this Stasi.
23:30
It's not just people who are already drinking
23:33
plant based milks who will say, oh, now
23:35
I can go in there and and have
23:37
my soy latte without paying extra.
23:40
It's also people that maybe don't really try
23:44
the plant based milks that might be encouraged
23:46
to try them because they're not being charged
23:48
more.
23:49
Of course they will.
23:51
Yeah.
23:51
I mean, we know the stats.
23:52
We know that 80 to 97 percent of
23:55
people of colour just make some sick dairy
23:57
milk.
23:58
So absolutely.
23:58
It's a huge celebration for them to be
24:00
able to go in there and try these
24:01
different plant based milks.
24:03
And maybe some of them are, you know,
24:05
who have not been going to Starbucks as
24:07
well and and be able to enjoy their
24:09
coffee without running the bathroom afterwards.
24:11
I think it it will really encourage most
24:14
people.
24:14
I think curiosity alone, too, will encourage people
24:17
who aren't lactose intolerant.
24:19
What does that taste like?
24:20
I've always wondered about it.
24:21
People talk about it.
24:22
I mean, we're up to 44 percent of
24:26
U.S. households has plant make plant based
24:29
milk in the refrigerator.
24:31
We're close to reaching the tipping point of
24:33
50 percent household penetration.
24:35
I mean, some of those households may also
24:38
have dairy milk, but that is a massive
24:40
step forward.
24:41
So they're drinking at home, is my point.
24:43
So they are absolutely going to go to
24:46
the coffee shop and be excited to be
24:48
able to order it for free.
24:50
And what I want to ask you is
24:52
what can the rest of the plant based
24:55
movement learn from the success of the dairy
24:59
sector?
25:00
I think it's fair to say and correct
25:02
me if I'm wrong, but my observation is
25:04
that the milk alternatives, the dairy free milk
25:08
alternatives, soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat
25:12
milk, the list goes on and on.
25:15
I've seen hemp milk.
25:16
I've seen all sorts of sort of even.
25:17
But it's the most successful aspect of the
25:22
plant based movement.
25:23
I mean, it's taking over the supermarket shelves.
25:26
When I check out, I'm always looking around.
25:28
I'm seeing so many people, even in, you
25:31
know, not like just fancy grocery stores.
25:35
But I was just at Smart and Final
25:36
two days ago.
25:37
The guy behind me has got the plant
25:40
based milks.
25:42
What can we learn from the success of
25:45
the plant based milk sector about what we
25:48
need to do with other sectors, particularly meat
25:52
alternatives?
25:54
Yeah, well, I mean, we also know that
25:56
that Gen Z, 49 percent of Gen Z,
26:00
almost half of them are embarrassed to order
26:03
dairy in public.
26:04
So the younger generation, they get it.
26:07
They get it for all the reasons.
26:08
And they're certainly pushing hard.
26:10
And I think what we can learn is
26:12
I mean, that's why we focus on this
26:14
from day one at Switch for Good, because
26:16
I have and will always believe that dairy
26:19
is the way in to a plant based
26:21
vegan world.
26:22
People are accepting the dairy alternatives.
26:25
They like them.
26:26
They're bringing them into their house.
26:28
They make them feel great.
26:29
We've already discussed how many people dairy makes
26:33
feel terrible.
26:34
And because of that, people have this almost
26:37
like religious experience when they drop dairy and
26:41
feel better in five days, six days, seven
26:43
days.
26:43
I mean, it's a really short period of
26:45
time.
26:45
And then they get excited about feeling that
26:47
much better and their health improving.
26:48
And then they start asking questions about what
26:50
else could they do to make themselves feel
26:52
better?
26:53
Unfortunately, we don't have that with a chicken
26:56
sandwich.
26:56
Nobody feels better if they drop chicken.
27:00
You drop all of it.
27:01
Things start to change.
27:03
But I think dairy is the way in
27:05
to dropping all of the meat.
27:07
And the more of us that recognise that
27:10
and start to work on what is working
27:13
and pushing that and finally breaking that lever
27:16
of dairy, they're almost on their way out.
27:19
They're not keeping themselves in business.
27:21
Meat is keeping themselves in business.
27:23
Our federal government is keeping dairy in business.
27:25
Seventy three percent of their income comes from
27:27
the feds.
27:28
So they are teetering.
27:30
And it's going to take all of us
27:32
to push them over.
27:33
And then we can go, you know, sector
27:35
to sector to sector and win this.
27:38
Well, I think you're absolutely right in terms
27:40
of kids aren't just sitting down like out
27:43
of a leave it to beaver TV show.
27:46
You know, these are 60s and drinking an
27:48
entire glass of milk.
27:49
They don't do it anymore.
27:50
So there's been a cultural shift and that's
27:54
the kind of cultural shift we need in
27:57
other sectors.
27:58
Amber, do you have any thoughts on what
28:00
we can learn from the success of the
28:02
dairy alternative movement in terms of what we
28:07
can do with other sectors in the plant
28:09
based food market?
28:10
Well, the other big thing with dairy, aside
28:14
from Starbucks, you know, which we don't need
28:16
to worry about anymore, is is is cheese
28:19
consumption is still, you know, something that needs
28:24
to be hammered on.
28:25
And the you know, the vegan cheeses are
28:28
getting better and better all the time.
28:31
So that is the kind of secondary dairy
28:35
related campaign that PETA has been focussing on.
28:38
Just getting people to try it because the
28:42
numbers of people trying it, they're more likely
28:44
to be more comfortable picking it up off
28:47
the grocery store shelf or the vegan burger
28:50
that has vegan cheese on it at the
28:52
restaurants.
28:53
Vegan mac and cheese.
28:55
It's, you know, it's all there ready to
28:57
go.
28:58
And that's that's kind of the next the
29:00
next hurdle we're looking at.
29:02
We've been giving away like tens of thousands
29:04
of samples of vegan cheese, just getting people
29:06
to try it because just like the soy
29:09
and oat milk with your cookie or whatever
29:12
we've been giving away at, you know, activism
29:14
events and booths.
29:16
We just need to get them to try
29:18
it and say, hey, I had some misconceptions
29:20
about that.
29:22
If you're just joining us, we're celebrating a
29:24
victory.
29:25
Starbucks has ended its vegan milk upcharge in
29:29
the United States and Canada after a powerful
29:31
campaign.
29:33
We have PETA and Switch for Good, the
29:35
two leading organisations that worked very hard to
29:39
make this happen.
29:41
And there's just happiness all the way around.
29:44
Stop everything you're doing.
29:46
Starbucks dropped their surcharge for the plant based
29:49
milk.
29:49
Finally, do you know how long we've been
29:52
asking for this?
29:53
This is a huge victory for the vegan
29:55
movement, for the animal rights movement, for organisations
29:58
like PETA and Switch for Good.
30:00
No one should be paying extra for making
30:01
better choices for our planet, for themselves and
30:05
for the animals.
30:06
It's a victory.
30:08
Now, the inside story of how it happened.
30:13
And I have to play once again Dotsie
30:15
Bausch at her protest because she was in
30:18
fuego outside Starbucks.
30:20
Put your money where your mouth is and
30:24
stop the upcharge of the plant based milk
30:27
now.
30:33
What the hell is up, you guys?
30:35
My name is Jamie Logan and we're here
30:37
in Los Angeles outside of Starbucks.
30:39
We are asking, we are demanding that they
30:42
drop the surcharge on plant based milk.
30:45
And let's find out why.
30:47
Extra charges aren't fair.
30:49
Stop the stopping doesn't care.
30:52
Stop the upcharge, stop the greed.
30:54
Keep our prices what we need.
30:57
So we are here because we have been
30:58
working for two and a half years trying
31:00
to get Starbucks to drop their plant milk
31:02
upcharge.
31:03
It's 70, 80 cents, 80 cents at the
31:05
top.
31:06
Extra to have planet friendly, animal friendly, people
31:10
friendly, health friendly plant milk.
31:13
And as many of you know now because
31:16
we've been doing this work for so long,
31:17
35% of Americans cannot digest dairy.
31:22
80% of people of colour all over
31:25
the world, it makes them sick, uncomfortable and
31:27
in some cases unable to breathe.
31:29
Yet that milk is free at Starbucks and
31:33
they're charging for planet friendly plant milk.
31:37
It's insanity.
31:38
So when you think about it and I'd
31:41
like to get your response, both of you
31:43
to this.
31:44
Amber, shouldn't they be charging more for dairy?
31:49
Right now we have equal price.
31:51
Thanks to this breakthrough where Starbucks agreed to
31:55
drop the surcharge for vegan milks like soy
31:58
milk, oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk, whatever
32:01
milks they carry in their various stores.
32:04
I know they mixed it up quite a
32:05
bit.
32:06
But if you think about what Doxie said,
32:09
the impact on the climate, the impact on
32:12
human health with the high levels of lactose
32:14
intolerance and obviously the cruelty as well.
32:17
Wouldn't it be smarter to either eliminate dairy
32:20
entirely or charge more for the privilege of
32:25
drinking the breast milk of cows if that's
32:27
what you really want to do?
32:29
Yeah, we had suggested that, you know, to
32:32
Starbucks in the past that, you know, the
32:36
prices should even out.
32:37
If you're going to stop upcharging for vegan
32:40
milk, then balance it out with the non
32:45
-vegan milks.
32:46
As Doxie mentioned, there are, you know, major
32:49
subsidies going on and PETA is working on
32:51
the side on that as well with our
32:53
food justice campaign, getting those subsidies out of
32:57
dairy, meat and egg industries and, you know,
33:00
promoting the healthy vegan foods that the government
33:04
should be promoting.
33:06
But absolutely, people are not paying that full
33:11
cost, whether it's for the animals or the
33:15
climate, human health, public health costs of all
33:19
this heavy dairy consumption, that all adds up
33:22
and it's not being reflected in that sticker
33:24
price at the counters.
33:26
You know, sometimes people are saying now, well,
33:31
there was this huge move toward plant-based
33:34
products when, for example, in 2019, Beyond Meat's
33:39
IPO initial public offering was the most successful
33:42
IPO since the 2008 financial crisis and everybody
33:46
was just sort of going crazy over it.
33:49
And now there's a bit of retrenchment and
33:51
I always say nothing goes straight up.
33:53
Even the most successful stock goes like this.
33:56
But this is, I think, a marker of
34:01
now we're back on the way up.
34:03
I think this change, given that Starbucks is,
34:08
according to you, and I believe you, and
34:11
Starbucks you're invited on anytime again, but the
34:14
largest purveyor of dairy in the United States
34:16
aside from the U.S. government.
34:19
And it is essentially acknowledging that vegan milks,
34:26
soy milk and almond milk and coconut milk,
34:28
should be on an even playing field.
34:30
I feel that this is a moment of
34:33
cultural shift.
34:34
What say you?
34:36
Yeah, I know it's been disappointing to see
34:40
what's happened in the last year.
34:42
But if we look back, we see that
34:44
around 2019, as you mentioned, Meat & Dairy
34:49
got together, the PR firm, and they've only
34:54
had to spend about $2 million a year,
34:55
which is not so much for them, only
34:59
solely focussing on the ultra processed milk.
35:02
And it's been working.
35:05
And that's now what's in our hands to
35:08
fight back with.
35:09
And there's lots of options on how to
35:13
fight that back, whether to fight directly against
35:15
that or introduce a different concept about what
35:19
is in Meat & Dairy.
35:21
But it's working.
35:22
I mean, we used to have the basketball
35:25
players, the big NBA stars sitting courtside in
35:28
their Beyond Meat hats.
35:30
And now they won't even take sponsorship money
35:32
from Beyond Meat.
35:33
They're like, no, no, dude, it's ultra processed.
35:36
So their campaigns worked.
35:38
And I think we always had to know
35:41
that they weren't going to just lay down,
35:43
right?
35:44
Of course, they were going to fight.
35:46
So we have to band together and fight
35:50
back against that, because that's really what you'll
35:52
hear most people who are no longer eating
35:54
vegan say.
35:56
It's too processed.
35:57
It's not good for you.
35:58
Well, and oh, my gosh, I have so
36:00
many arguments that I would love to hear
36:02
from all the American people.
36:04
But A, we just profiled Beyond Meat, and
36:08
they have a new heart healthy version.
36:10
Yes.
36:11
Because Ethan Brown said, well, you know, we've
36:13
come under attack by the incumbent industry is
36:16
how he put it.
36:16
So instead of fighting back with just words,
36:19
we've decided we're going to make our product
36:20
even healthier.
36:21
And now it's certified by the American Heart
36:25
Association.
36:26
And it's much healthier.
36:28
Not that it was unhealthy, but he responded
36:31
that way, which I thought was so evolved
36:33
of him.
36:34
But you're absolutely right.
36:35
There is, according to The Guardian, there's like
36:37
a war room the size of a major
36:40
network somewhere in Denver, Colorado, where they spew
36:43
out all this stuff about how vegan meat
36:47
alternatives are ultra processed.
36:49
Now, mind you, you can always eat tofu,
36:53
brown rice, kale, legumes, carrots, all the reason
37:00
those items were created was because people said,
37:03
no, I can't eat.
37:04
Oh, I'm not going to eat whole food
37:06
plant based.
37:07
So they try to put you in a
37:09
no win circumstance.
37:10
If you say, look, whole food is there.
37:13
You can eat it.
37:13
It's super healthy.
37:14
We've got gazillion studies that show that that's
37:18
the route to disease prevention and longevity.
37:21
Oh, no, I have to have my burger.
37:23
I have to have my wings.
37:25
I have to have my this, that and
37:27
the other.
37:27
OK, we're going to make you plant based
37:28
versions.
37:29
And then they say, oh, well, that's processed.
37:31
So that's kind of trying to put you
37:34
in a situation where you can't win.
37:35
What I do say is processed meat is
37:40
officially cancer causing, according to the World Health
37:43
Organisation.
37:46
Meat alternatives are not.
37:48
And they have zero cholesterol.
37:50
So they're automatically healthier.
37:52
Amber, how does PETA make that case, given
37:55
that there is this, I would call it
37:59
a misinformation campaign out there against meat alternatives?
38:05
Yeah, there have been so many new buzzwords
38:08
that they have come up with in the
38:09
past couple of years.
38:11
We have a whole guide on our Web
38:13
site about how, especially that buzzword regenerative agriculture.
38:18
I just heard it on an ad for
38:21
cheese, cheesy crackers or something like that this
38:24
week.
38:24
And I was like, really?
38:28
But, you know, I think part of the
38:31
fact that they've had to spend so much
38:34
effort creating all these new buzzwords, all these
38:37
humane labels that they have to slap on
38:40
things, is a testament to how much the
38:43
public does care about these issues that they
38:46
have had to go on the offensive and
38:49
go on the defensive to get people to
38:54
stop going vegan in droves.
38:57
And, you know, largely they are failing.
38:59
It's still going to be a lot of
39:02
work out there to counteract all of these
39:04
false and misleading labels and marketing claims.
39:08
Honestly, that's just more opportunities to talk about
39:11
this issue and show how, you know, devious
39:15
the meat, dairy and egg industries really can
39:17
be.
39:17
They're not just abusing animals, but they are
39:20
relying on misleading and cover ups.
39:25
You know, we shouldn't have to have ag
39:26
laws.
39:27
We shouldn't have to have undercover investigators who
39:30
have to go in and show the real
39:31
conditions behind these things.
39:33
But we do.
39:35
And that just, you know, is a testament
39:37
to how cruel these industries are and the
39:40
length that they need to go to to
39:42
stay in business and keep people buying those
39:44
products.
39:45
And, you know, we are seeing so many
39:48
people ordering the free vegan starter guides that
39:50
we have on our website, accessing all the
39:53
resources and the health resources from groups like
39:57
Dotsies who are focused on, you know, health
40:00
and fitness.
40:00
All those resources are out there at people's
40:03
fingertips and we're always there and available to
40:06
help people get active and do what needs
40:09
to be done to help get these animals
40:10
out of these factory farms.
40:12
And I think we're actually doing better than
40:14
we give ourselves credit for.
40:16
And if you look, a lot of the
40:19
more successful brands have been bought up by
40:22
big companies.
40:23
So while yes, vegan restaurants might be struggling
40:28
right now, well, all restaurants are struggling.
40:30
There's been a cultural change since the pandemic.
40:33
I myself don't go to as many restaurants
40:35
as I used to.
40:37
And so it's across the board with restaurants,
40:40
not just vegan restaurants.
40:42
But then if you look at the frozen
40:44
food section in your average large supermarket, my
40:49
gosh, the amount of plant based alternatives, the
40:53
vegan wings, the vegan fish, the vegan burgers.
40:58
I mean, it's all over the place and
41:00
a lot of it is being adopted.
41:02
So I think we have to keep it
41:03
in perspective.
41:05
A lot of these brands have been purchased
41:08
by big, big companies.
41:11
And interestingly enough, once they get purchased by
41:13
the big companies, they don't seem to be
41:16
targets anymore.
41:17
It's kind of funny how that happens.
41:19
Like it's the upstart companies that are not
41:23
bought by international conglomerates that get a lot
41:26
of hits.
41:27
But once they're bought by international conglomerates, they
41:30
don't seem to get that many hits.
41:32
And they're filling up the supermarket aisle, at
41:34
least my perspective.
41:36
What are your thoughts, Dotsie?
41:39
Yeah, I mean, I agree with you.
41:42
It does seem to be that we have
41:44
had a little bit of a surge in
41:46
the last year with the products because it
41:49
felt like there was a downturn.
41:50
Like all of a sudden we had like
41:51
three or four choices after 2019 when it
41:53
had 20.
41:54
But it seems to me that the major
41:56
problem is how challenging it is to get
41:58
shelf space.
41:59
And that's why some of these smaller companies
42:02
who've been bought by the bigger companies, sadly,
42:04
many of them also distributing meat and dairy,
42:07
have been able to get shelf space and
42:10
stay in the grocery store.
42:11
So I don't love how it's had to
42:13
happen.
42:15
But we're working with a new child-focused
42:22
non-dairy milk that's made from chickpeas this
42:26
past weekend at the New York City Marathon.
42:29
We were in the expo.
42:30
It is absolutely delicious.
42:32
I mean, they have done the most beautiful
42:34
job.
42:34
I mean, it's an ingredient list that you
42:37
can only dream of or a mother can
42:38
only dream of for their children.
42:40
But the shelf space, I mean, they just
42:45
they're having such a hard time.
42:47
Right.
42:47
You can only hang in for so long.
42:49
You know, you get that seed money and
42:51
that is blown immediately making this incredible product
42:55
because it's not cheap to make when it's
42:57
that healthy.
42:59
So it's shelf space to me, every food
43:02
company I talk to and start up.
43:04
That is their challenge.
43:06
And I don't know how to change that,
43:08
by the way.
43:08
So I mean, right.
43:09
I bet that's that's why it's so frustrating
43:11
is because it's the depth of the large
43:15
food companies, you know, like Nabisco and others.
43:19
They have all the shelf space and they're
43:22
not moving it.
43:23
The grocery stores aren't wanting to move it
43:24
around because they know what works.
43:27
Wow.
43:28
Well, yes, you're right.
43:29
Shelf space is very important.
43:31
And I'll tell you a funny story.
43:34
When I was in New York, I would
43:36
notice this one supermarket that the vegan products
43:40
were always in the back in a horrible
43:42
area.
43:43
And I would get off work late and
43:45
I would go back there and I'd move
43:47
them to the front.
43:49
And I was doing like rearranging the supermarket.
43:58
And then one day that one night because
44:00
I would be there like at 11 o
44:02
'clock at night where nobody's paying attention.
44:03
One night manager caught me and he's like,
44:06
what the hell are you doing?
44:08
I'm like, oh, I'm just rearranging a little
44:10
bit.
44:11
You're welcome.
44:12
Yeah, exactly.
44:13
Well, look, getting back to the reason that
44:17
we're talking to you today, this this incredible
44:19
news that has just been such good news.
44:24
And we can talk about challenges, but let's
44:26
celebrate our victories.
44:28
This victory is absolutely extraordinary.
44:31
Starbucks ending the vegan milk upcharge after a
44:34
powerful PETA campaign and a campaign by Switch
44:37
for Good.
44:39
They are two of the most incredible organisations
44:42
that are relentless.
44:45
And James Cromwell led PETA's campaign, literally glueing
44:52
himself to a Starbucks counter.
44:55
And we'll just hear once again what he
44:59
said.
44:59
It's very short, but this got so much
45:04
publicity that it really was worth it.
45:10
The half an hour, hour or so really
45:14
made headlines.
45:15
A single cow emits more smog, warming pollutants
45:19
than a car.
45:21
One cow on a dairy farm also requires
45:24
50 gallons of water a day.
45:27
So we're in the vegan upcharge now because
45:29
they charge for vegan milk in there.
45:34
It does damage to the planet.
45:36
It does damage to people who ingest it,
45:39
who can't metabolise it.
45:42
And it's simple greed.
45:45
And again, the good news is that as
45:48
a result of this campaign, the Dotsy Bausch,
45:51
Switch for Good campaigns, and the fact that
45:55
it was hurting their business, they have now
45:57
stopped charging more for plant-based milks.
46:02
So, you know, as we kind of try
46:06
to understand the significance of this, Amber, in
46:10
the big picture, I always say we never
46:13
know what these big turning points are in
46:15
any social justice movement.
46:18
Wouldn't it be nice if we can all
46:20
think of moments in history where one person
46:22
did something and it ended up becoming a
46:25
moment in history, but it may not have
46:28
been obvious at the time.
46:30
It became obvious in retrospect.
46:32
Where does this Starbucks dropping the vegan upcharge
46:36
in the United States and Canada rank in
46:39
terms of groundbreaking change for the vegan movement,
46:43
animal rights?
46:45
Well, it's one of the probably first big
46:49
barriers to hopefully in the very near future,
46:54
where vegan milks and meat and eggs are
46:59
the default, you know, that are just being
47:03
served.
47:03
And maybe then you have to ask especially
47:06
for the cow's milk in your coffee if
47:09
you really want it.
47:10
And then eventually the dairy industry is just
47:13
not going to be able to survive without
47:14
the subsidies that they are getting and all
47:19
of the, you know, unfounded money that they're
47:22
getting from the school lunch programmes and things
47:25
like that and from Starbucks.
47:26
Because, again, Starbucks was, you know, is even
47:30
with the roughly half of their customers who
47:33
are already choosing the vegan milks despite the
47:37
upcharge.
47:37
That's another big thing is people were already
47:40
largely choosing the vegan milks despite the upcharge.
47:43
So, I mean, it remains to be seen
47:46
how much more it's going to be now
47:49
that people aren't facing this, you know, this
47:51
upcharge that really raised the cost on things.
47:55
It's just more accessible.
47:57
And other coffee chains and coffee shops and
48:00
restaurants and grocery stores, you know, it is
48:03
going to have that ripple effect.
48:06
Well, I certainly hope so.
48:08
And one thing, I don't know if maybe
48:10
some Starbucks executives might watch this.
48:12
Who knows?
48:13
We invite you on anytime.
48:14
We would love to dialogue with you.
48:17
But one thing I think that all the
48:18
baristas should be informed of is what's vegan
48:21
and what isn't.
48:22
Because I was actually in a Starbucks recently
48:25
and I saw that they had some kind
48:27
of soy something or other or oat something
48:30
or other, some kind of, it appeared to
48:32
be, non-dairy.
48:33
And I said, since it was not just
48:36
a cup of coffee with a milk of
48:39
whatever kind, it was sort of a fancy
48:41
thing.
48:41
I said, is that vegan?
48:43
And they said, I don't know.
48:45
So, and it said like oats.
48:49
So, I think that all these baristas need
48:52
to be informed of what drinks are vegan
48:55
for their business.
48:56
Not just to do me a personal favour,
48:59
but because there's a lot of people like
49:01
me going in and saying, is that vegan
49:03
or does it, sometimes the powders have dairy
49:05
in them.
49:06
Because sometimes they'll have like a little powder,
49:08
you know.
49:09
And I don't want to take that risk.
49:11
So, I just said, no, I'm not going
49:12
to have it.
49:13
But if I knew 100% it was
49:15
completely vegan, I would have tried it.
49:20
Now, let me say one other thing, because
49:22
obviously Starbucks also serves food.
49:25
Again, I want to say, full disclosure, I
49:27
haven't been into a Starbucks to really look
49:30
for anything or buy anything, except for that
49:32
one incident in a long time.
49:34
But I was in Switzerland, in Zurich.
49:37
And I walked into a Starbucks and they
49:39
had the most incredible vegan waffle.
49:42
In fact, this one lady and I kind
49:44
of, we kind of had a tug of
49:46
war over it for a minute.
49:48
The guy behind the counter said, oh, you
49:50
know, these sell like hotcakes.
49:53
And I thought, why the heck aren't we
49:55
having this in the United States?
49:58
I'd like to ask both of you.
49:59
Why is it that a lot of countries
50:01
in Europe, they didn't have the surcharge, but
50:06
they had it here in the United States?
50:08
And from my own personal observation, Starbucks in
50:11
other countries like Switzerland are offering vegan options
50:16
that are not available in the United States.
50:18
Dotsie?
50:20
Well, here's something that you really don't want
50:22
to know.
50:23
And the listeners don't really want to know.
50:25
But one thing that we uncovered that was
50:27
unrelated to the non-dairy milk upcharge with
50:31
the whistleblowers, most of their sugary syrups at
50:35
Starbucks have bone char.
50:39
So if you're getting a vanilla latte like
50:41
I used to, it has bone char in
50:44
it.
50:45
So there's not a lot of speciality drinks
50:49
at Starbucks that are vegan.
50:51
So that's just disgusting.
50:54
I have to say legally, I can't independently
50:58
confirm that.
50:59
That's the first I've heard of it.
51:00
So again, I would invite Starbucks on any
51:03
time to respond to anything said by me,
51:06
Dotsie or Amber or anybody.
51:09
We would love to dialogue with you and
51:11
set the record straight on all of this.
51:15
But thank you for doing your investigations, Dotsie.
51:19
So where do we go from here?
51:21
We've only got two minutes.
51:23
Final thoughts.
51:24
Where do we go from here?
51:26
Can I just take a day off?
51:29
No.
51:30
You sure?
51:32
Oh, my God.
51:33
We keep hammering.
51:35
We don't stop.
51:36
I mean, a coffee shop is a coffee
51:37
shop, even though it's a multinational coffee shop,
51:40
multi-international coffee shop.
51:42
But we keep fighting with all the things
51:44
that we're already fighting for.
51:46
And after yesterday, I'm feeling a little bit
51:49
down about our federal legislation.
51:51
But that's not going to stop us, right?
51:53
We fight.
51:54
You fight.
51:54
Amber fights.
51:55
And we keep going.
51:57
We can't not fight.
51:59
When I wake up on mornings like this
52:01
morning and feel like I don't know where
52:05
we're going or what just happened, I always
52:08
try and remind myself if I wasn't doing
52:10
this, I wouldn't be able to live with
52:12
myself.
52:12
The three of us are incapable of not
52:15
fighting.
52:16
And Tom says put Dotsie on the team
52:18
immediately.
52:19
I said, Dotsie can put me on the
52:21
team.
52:21
We're on the same team.
52:21
It's her team.
52:24
I'm on the team.
52:25
All right.
52:26
We're all on the same team.
52:28
Amber, what are your thoughts?
52:30
What's next?
52:31
Where do we go with this victory?
52:34
PETA's motto, one of many, is never be
52:37
silent.
52:37
Every animal is someone.
52:39
And we are just going to keep plugging
52:41
away at that.
52:42
Whether it's Starbucks or any other company that's
52:45
exploiting animals, we don't stop.
52:47
We just don't stop.
52:49
We're going to keep going.
52:50
And we need to get everybody on board.
52:52
So come with us.
52:54
I got the super glue.
52:58
Yeah.
52:59
And once again, I want to compliment both
53:01
these organisations for being so relentless.
53:04
I mean, if you look at some of
53:05
these protests, this is not easy to pull
53:08
off.
53:09
These are difficult to pull off.
53:12
They involve tremendous coordination.
53:14
And the people here are almost exclusively volunteers.
53:21
There I am, a volunteer, shouting.
53:23
And there's one of the leaders of Switch
53:26
for Good, along with Dotsie Bausch.
53:30
People think, oh, are we doing all this
53:33
because it's fun?
53:34
No.
53:36
There's plenty of other things that I would
53:38
have rather done in a perfect world other
53:41
than go and drive to a Starbucks and
53:43
stand there and chant for an hour and
53:45
a half.
53:46
But we do it because the animals cannot
53:50
speak for themselves.
53:52
The planet cannot speak for itself.
53:55
And humans need to know that there's an
54:00
alternative to dairy that is zero cholesterol, that's
54:03
better for them, better for the animals, and
54:05
better for the planet.
54:07
So I just want to say thank you
54:09
both.
54:09
I know you are very, very busy, busy
54:12
people.
54:13
And I can't tell you how much I
54:15
appreciate you coming here today and just celebrating
54:20
this victory.
54:21
This is a major, major victory.
54:24
Again, according to Dotsie, Starbucks is the leading
54:29
purveyor of dairy in the United States aside
54:31
from the U.S. government and government institutions.
54:35
So it's a major breakthrough.
54:36
I will say once again, thank you, Starbucks.
54:42
We're going to sing your praises today for
54:44
doing the right thing.
54:46
And we invite you on anytime.
54:48
Meanwhile, I urge everybody to download Unchained TV.
54:53
We are the world's only vegan streaming television
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network.
54:57
And we are mostly volunteer run.
55:00
We are a 501C3 nonprofit.
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And check us out.
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So it's a vegan network.
55:07
Okay, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard.
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So you can download Unchained TV on your
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Thank you very much, ladies.
56:01
Rock on!
56:02
Bye-bye, VAMPers!